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Nell Bray #9
The Perfect Daughter: A Nell Bray Mystery #9
Nell Bray investigates the death of her young cousin, who returned home from art school pregnant and on drugs, and discovers that the girl has been leading a double life as a friend to Bohemian anarchists and a spy for the secret service.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
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43 people want to read
About the author
Gillian Linscott
47 books26 followersGillian Linscott introduced her popular suffragette/sleuth, Nell Bray, in the critically acclaimed Sister Beneath the Sheet. A BBC reporter turned full-time writer, she lives in Herefordshire, England.
Linscott has also published several titles under the pseudonym Caro Peacock.
Linscott has also published several titles under the pseudonym Caro Peacock.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 1, 2014
Still sick and giving myself a reading headache.
This was very good although the crime bothered me. People should be offed in normal ways: run down by a car, pushed down the stairs, poisoned, stabbed, shot. And if they commit suicide, they should choose something simple. I'm not saying this death was designed by McGyver, but I thought it was unnecessarily gruesome.
I am reminded of an Agatha Christie story where a perfect girl comes to a sticky end out of twisted love. But that was simple: a bit of poison and, voila!
Anyway, Nell Bray is neck-deep in the suffragette movement, and her cousin's daughter comes to London and asks her about political things. Nell directs her to the more organized parts of the movement and is not surprised to find Verona (a name I thought unusual until I checked my email today and found a message from someone with that name - freaked me out) in the thick of left-wing politics as well as Free Love. A visit with the girl's mother later on leads to the discovery of Verona's apparent suicide. The plot doesn't just thicken, it manages to congeal around drugs, pregnancy, spying ... and once you get to spying, then Nell is left to untangle a deadly skein of cat and mouse ... or cat and mole. [Sorry about that - I told you I was sick. Now I'm mutilating metaphors.]
Bill Musgrave, a barrister from a previous story, butts in and, in trying to be helpful, brings out the stubborn side of Nell, who will not be told by a man what to do or not do. Even if they are slightly sweet on each other. Hurrah for suffragettes who get to rescue the man who sprains his metaphorical ankle!
But the death was icky. It still bothers me.
This was very good although the crime bothered me. People should be offed in normal ways: run down by a car, pushed down the stairs, poisoned, stabbed, shot. And if they commit suicide, they should choose something simple. I'm not saying this death was designed by McGyver, but I thought it was unnecessarily gruesome.
I am reminded of an Agatha Christie story where a perfect girl comes to a sticky end out of twisted love. But that was simple: a bit of poison and, voila!
Anyway, Nell Bray is neck-deep in the suffragette movement, and her cousin's daughter comes to London and asks her about political things. Nell directs her to the more organized parts of the movement and is not surprised to find Verona (a name I thought unusual until I checked my email today and found a message from someone with that name - freaked me out) in the thick of left-wing politics as well as Free Love. A visit with the girl's mother later on leads to the discovery of Verona's apparent suicide. The plot doesn't just thicken, it manages to congeal around drugs, pregnancy, spying ... and once you get to spying, then Nell is left to untangle a deadly skein of cat and mouse ... or cat and mole. [Sorry about that - I told you I was sick. Now I'm mutilating metaphors.]
Bill Musgrave, a barrister from a previous story, butts in and, in trying to be helpful, brings out the stubborn side of Nell, who will not be told by a man what to do or not do. Even if they are slightly sweet on each other. Hurrah for suffragettes who get to rescue the man who sprains his metaphorical ankle!
But the death was icky. It still bothers me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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December 7, 2010Historical mysteries really aren't a favourite of mine so I'm really surprised to find that I'm adoring this series.
At the beginning of this book I was a little thrown by the setting. I have only read this book's immediate predecessor in this series and that book was set in 1918 in the aftermath of the first world war. This next book in the series is somehow set in the time immediately preceding the war. Linscott soon orientated me in history and now I find I really don't care what she does with the timeline of the series I just want to read some more.
In this story Nell Bray is accused by her cousin, a high ranking naval officer, of misleading his "perfect daughter" who has come to London to study art. Nell of course has done no such thing but is determined to get to the bottom of what has happened to her cousin's daughter.
What I really like about this book is that it manages to make me feel like I'm reading about 1914 without making me feel like I'm reading through the author's research. And there's a damned good and interesting plot to boost.
May 15, 2011
Though this is the ninth in the series, this is the first Nell Bray mystery I have read. I am definitely going to be reading the rest of this series. (Though I'm going to backtrack and start from the beginning... Imagine that!)
I think these books are comparable to the Maisie Dobbs series. And actually, I enjoyed this much more than both of the Maisie Dobbs books I have read. It had much more humour and Nell Bray seems more human. Perhaps that had something to do with the fact she's an unofficial sleuth and not always on the right side of the law!
I think these books are comparable to the Maisie Dobbs series. And actually, I enjoyed this much more than both of the Maisie Dobbs books I have read. It had much more humour and Nell Bray seems more human. Perhaps that had something to do with the fact she's an unofficial sleuth and not always on the right side of the law!
April 29, 2011
for some reason, I did not care for this book. I liked the main character but not the plot. I found it a bit boring.
July 20, 2014
If you like mysteries this book was pretty good. Halfway through I felt like I knew how it was going to finish so it was semi-predictable but was a good read.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews